Romance and Flowers
by Beth - Geek Chick
Summary: Canon, set after Season 3 finale. A month into their relationship, it seems the honeymoon period has worn off. Annie yearns for romance and flowers and wonders if Auggie's on the same page.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N New story! Canon, set about a month after Season 3 finale. A bit of angst and romance with our favorite Covert Affairs couple. Kind of a departure from what I normally write, but thanks to a half hour wait at the pharmacy, had this story pop into my head.**

* * *

"One more hour," Annie murmured to herself as she walked stiffly into the elevator. She punched the floor for the DPD and leaned against the rail at the back. Another mission done and in the books. She hated to think that they were getting formulaic, but it'd be getting to be the same. Bad guy threatens, CIA responds, Annie has to be there when a relationship breaks off, or family gets torn apart, or lifelong friendships come to an end.

This time, it'd been a boyfriend who was about to propose. If Annie hadn't gotten into a physical altercation – hence her sore muscles now – she'd have had more sympathy for him. But, truthfully, she did feel sorry for the guy. He'd had the whole thing planned, ring bought, speech memorized. If Annie hadn't had to hand his girlfriend over to the authorities, she knew he'd still be there for her, despite her past transgressions.

He'd said he loved her, Annie remembered. That, no matter what, she'd been there for him, and he wanted to do the same. Annie had been burned so many times in the past, she thought her heart would have scoffed at such a notion. But, she had to admit, it was nice to have someone so devoted to you, they'd follow you and stay by your side, no matter what.

She stepped out into the hallway when the elevator reached her floor, and she sighed in relief. One brief check-in with Joan, and she'd be headed home to a hot bath. That and a couple of pain killers would soothe her aching body.

She was only a step into the department when a familiar hand grasped her elbow. In the past – say, a month ago – that hand would put a smile on her face. But now, the hand always gripped a little tighter, the fingers gliding on her skin which sent shivers up her arm and down her body. She wondered if Auggie realized what he was doing.

He probably did, as ever since he'd come over that rainy night, he'd made a personal mission to map her body with his fingertips. She'd done the same, to be sure, but she'd yet to see him shiver at her touch. He'd usually just growl and kiss her.

"Welcome home," he whispered in her ear.

"Thanks," she replied. "Joan in her office?"

"Yep, waiting for you. Come see me when you're done?"

Then he was gone, and Annie made her way slowly up to Joan's office. She hoped her boss would see the exhaustion on her face and not drag out this debrief too long.

* * *

45 minutes later, she was set free and walked down to Tech Ops. By this time, only a few people still hung around the bull pen. It was past 5pm, and Annie's apartment and bath tub was calling to her.

But, first, a few words with her Auggie.

"Hey," she said, walking in. He'd already turned his equipment off for the day and stood when she entered. A quick look through the glass door and windows showed nobody was watching, so she wrapped her arms around his neck and treated him to a welcome back kiss. They'd agreed at the beginning to keep the PDA out of the office, but at the moment, Annie didn't care.

"Miss me?" she whispered against his lips before taking a step back.

"Not anymore," he said with a grin. "Day seemed even longer waiting for you to return. Do you want to go home and change first?"

"Change for what?" Annie asked, perplexed.

"I know how difficult this trip was. I propose a few shots, a few beers, and a cab ride to my apartment."

By the smile and lustful glint in his eyes, Annie knew exactly what he was proposing, and she knew they'd never make it past the first round of a shot and a beer before the cab was called for.

"That is quite a proposal," she said.

"I know," he said, his hand reaching out for hers.

"Would you hate me if I asked for a rain check?"

He obviously wasn't expecting that answer, and the warmth in his eyes gave way to confusion. "Rain check? Are you kidding me?" he asked with a laugh.

"I'm tired, exhausted, and sore, Auggie. I'd been thinking about a hot bath and my bed ever since I got off the plane this afternoon."

"Oh, of course," he said. "Want company?" The glint was back in his eyes, and Annie could almost see what he was thinking, and there'd be no way relaxation would fit into his plans for the night.

"Maybe another night?" she offered, trying to soften the blow of her letting him down.

"I guess, sure," he said. The glint disappeared again, and he took a step back, dropping her hand. "Just, you know, happy to have you back home, safe and sound. Thought you might want to celebrate like we always do."

"Auggie, come on," Annie said as another wave of tiredness swept over her. "I'm sure you wouldn't want to have me falling asleep on you."

"Of course not. Maybe another night, like you said."

He'd shrugged on his jacket as he spoke, and grabbing up his travel cane, he extended it. As he brushed passed her, he leaned down and brushed his lips against her hair.

"Have a good night."

And he was gone, and Annie wondered what happened in the past few minutes. He'd been her handler throughout the mission and knew what all she'd been through. In the past, yes, they had gone to Allen's for a few beers – had since her first day. But now? It never ended at that one drink, and for the past couple of weeks, they'd ended up at her place or his.

Just because she begged off once, he's going to, for lack of a better word, pout, she thought. She wanted to go to him and soothe his confusion, but she could barely stand up straight, she was so tired.

As she drove home, she thought back on the heartbroken guy she'd left in Portugal. All of her past relationships had been hot, fast, and heavy. Satisfying and fun, yes, but with Auggie, she thought that perhaps it'd be it, the big one. Over the past few years, watching his love life from afar, she'd sometimes pictured herself in their place. When he'd shown her the ring he'd bought for Parker, her heart nearly broke right then and there. Despite her previous relationships, she still yearned for the romance of unexpected flowers and foot massages.

She'd hoped to get that from Auggie, thought he felt the same. Wasn't that what his speech that night was about? She groaned, as the emotional turmoil was making her tired brain throb with an oncoming headache.

* * *

**A/N Please review.**


	2. Chapter 2

Annie's body, after sustaining it with some food and a cleansing shower, dropped to sleep almost immediately, but the way she left things with Auggie had her mind taking over as she slept.

She dreamt of her and Auggie hanging out, walking down a street, arm-in-arm, laughing, talking, but then he would let go and walk away, and no matter how hard she tried to find him, she couldn't. The scenario repeated several times, with nothing changing but where they were. A street, a mall, a park. She woke with such a feeling of heartbreak and loss that she automatically reached for her phone to call and ask if he was all right.

She caught herself before the call could go through and hung up. What would she say? "You're alive, right?" A glance at the clock showed it was about 15 minutes prior to her alarm, so she lay back and stared at the ceiling, trying to calm her mind.

It had seemed so real, she thought. Never before had she had that type of dream about Auggie. And suddenly, losing him in any way, shape, or form filled her with sadness and dread.

Why, she thought, had she pushed him away last night? Remembering the look on his face when she asked for a rain check, she groaned out loud. Sure, her logic at the time made sense. She'd been tired, mentally and physically, and wasn't up to the type of "welcome back party" she knew awaited her in his arms.

But, still, she told herself. She could've explained how tired she was, and if he would just be with her without expecting anything, she could be waking up at his side now, and not settling for a dream version.

Groaning again in frustration, she rolled over and wondered if heartache was a valid excuse for calling in sick. Probably not, she thought. Besides, it was Friday. Joan allowed her a few days after any extended mission, which meant a free weekend. Would tonight and two days be enough to ease the misunderstanding that occurred in two minutes last night?

She hoped, she thought, giving her pillow a punch before sitting up, that Auggie hadn't completely given up on her.

* * *

And, of course, on the one day when she hoped Auggie would be free to talk to her for a while, the entire department was hopping and buzzing with activity. It had nothing to do with her, and she spent the majority of the day writing up the details from her mission. Doing so made her think back on the heartbroken fiancé, and she couldn't help but compare his situation to hers.

A loving couple. But his opportunity at happiness had been cut down by her duplicitousness. Annie and Auggie's happiness seemed to hang on the precipice, and whichever side it fell would depend entirely on Annie mending the rift she'd inadvertently caused last night.

Lunch came and went with Annie eating alone in the canteen. She'd kept her eye on Tech Ops, but Auggie had been running around all day, headphones perpetually on his ears. 5pm couldn't come fast enough, she thought. Hopefully, he'd be able to leave on time, and this wouldn't drag on longer than 24 hours.

About an hour before quitting time, she noticed with a sigh of relief, things seemed to quiet down. She cleaned her desk off, and by quarter 'til 5, she walked over to Auggie's office.

"Hey," she said softly, walking in and sliding the door closed behind her. The rest of the crew had cleared already, and, once again, she wished the CIA would spring for wooden walls and doors.

"Hey," he replied, his head swinging around to Annie. He looked kind of surprised she was there, but it gave way to a big smile. "Haven't heard from you all day. Thought maybe Joan sent you out again."

"No, no," Annie said. She perched on the edge of his desk next to him. "At my desk all day."

"And you're just now coming by?" he asked.

Annie could see the same semi-hurt look on his face that he had yesterday, and it ached her heart. "You guys looked so busy, I didn't want to interrupt."

"Oh, yeah, well, busy would be an understatement." He laughed. "But, still, I wouldn't have minded."

"Next time, then," Annie said. Well, she thought, no time like the present, and unless they moved on to how the weather was, they'd never move further. "My weekend's free. Yours?"

"Same here, kind of the reason why we were so busy. I wanted this done today."

He sat there, leaning back, fingering his headphones in his hands. Annie couldn't think that her one time of pulling away from him had left him so withdrawn. "Mind some company?" she asked, intentionally using his line from 24 hours ago.

"The whole weekend?"

"Yep."

"My place?"

"Yep."

"Wow, and here I was thinking I'd be spending the night cleaning," he joked, though Annie wondered if he really thought that.

"If you're almost done here, we can head out. I have to stop by my place for my bag, though."

"Or, you could just wear one of my t-shirts," he tasted, that smirk coming out again. It made her knees weak the first time she was on its receiving end, and she still had to grip the edge of the desk with her hands now.

"And share your toothbrush?" she teased back. He scowled in response. "Exactly. It's been a tough week, and I figured we could both do with some time together."

Auggie stood and reached out for her hands, which she readily took into her own. "Wasn't too sure that we'd have this, given, well, what happened yesterday."

"Which is why I think we need this weekend. This past month has been –" Annie shook her head.

"Yeah, my thoughts exactly. I've been thinking a lot about us this past week."

"Have you?" Annie asked.

He nodded, and once again, Annie wished they weren't in anyone's view 'cause she wanted nothing more than to erase that hint of doubt still lurking around his deep brown eyes.

"Then, why don't you finish up here? We can pick up some food on the way there?"

"Now you're talking."

And so they would be, Annie thought as she went back to her desk to wait. She had a feeling that, come Sunday, she and Auggie would either be the new super couple of the agency, or one of them would be asking for a transfer.

* * *

**A/N Sorry for the delay. Been uber-busy.**

**Please review.**


	3. Chapter 3

As Auggie sat in Annie's VW while she popped into her place to pack a bag for the weekend, he let out a deep breath and sighed. A month ago, he'd been at this same place, laying his heart on the line and feeling a joy he'd never felt before when she didn't push him away.

The same elation he'd felt back then was the polar opposite of what went through him last night when she – for reasons he still couldn't understand – turned down his offer to celebrate her homecoming like they always did.

She'd been gone all week, and though the mission wasn't as difficult as some previous ones – he could tell through their phone calls that she was mentally and physically tired. He'd planned for last night for a couple of days and was glad he'd gotten rid of the evidence last night and this morning. Well, part of it, at least. The food he'd ordered from their favorite Italian restaurant was still in his refrigerator, but it rarely tasted as good as leftovers.

He could've kept the flowers, but he'd gone a little overboard, and the four dozen roses were permeating his apartment so much and reminding him of what he was missing that he asked the florist to pick them back up and deliver them to a nearby hospital.

Then he'd spent the night listening to music and trying to keep his mind occupied. He did, for a while, until he'd hear or remember something that reminded him of Annie, and the hurt started all over again. His hands were itching to grab the phone and talk to her, get some answers, but he knew how tired she was, and he refused to interrupt her much-needed sleep just because he was feeling insecure.

Uncertainty. That was a feeling Auggie wasn't used to when he was in a relationship. Before and after being blinded, he'd had all the confidence in the world. Even when the break-up eventually occurred, he was in control. But with Annie?

With Annie, he found he couldn't think straight at times. She'd turned his world upside down three years ago, and he'd fought the attraction, fought it with everything he had. Until he realized that she'd permeated his life so much, he couldn't picture living it without her.

His thoughts were interrupted by Annie opening the car door. A bag thumped into the back seat, and she sat down in the driver's. "Ready to get this weekend started?" she asked.

Auggie thought, I was ready last night, but he replied, "Yes." No need to jump to too many conclusions right now.

"So, where to for eats?" Annie said. "I'm pretty hungry, though all I did was sit behind a desk all day."

"If you're up for Italian, I've got some at the apartment. I'd hate to have it go to waste."

"Sounds delicious," Annie said.

* * *

So far, so good, Annie thought as she drove to Auggie's apartment. She was afraid he'd still be angry with her for last night, but things seemed as close to normal right now as they ever were. She wondered maybe if she were projecting her own relationship baggage onto him.

She sighed inwardly. They really needed this weekend. They weren't the normal type of couple that could consult with a counselor or talk things over with friends. Whatever needed to be done would involve only them.

Soon enough, they were walking down the hallway to his apartment, and after unlocking it, Auggie stepped aside to allow her to walk in first. Passing him, she reached up to give him a quick kiss before stepping inside.

She'd only gotten a few steps in when something struck her senses. A heavy floral scent hung in the air, and if Annie wasn't mistaken, it was the scent of roses. The first thought that crossed her mind was that another woman was here, one who laid a little heavy on the perfume.

But a quick glance around showed nothing like Auggie had company, and she decided to swallow her flash of jealousy and simply ask. "Auggie, why does your apartment smell like roses?"

She turned to him as she asked, and he sniffed the air, as well. "Guess I should have left a window open or something," he said with a defeated air.

"Does your house cleaner have a personal preference for it, or have you had company this past week while I was gone?" Annie asked. That's it, she thought, mentally forehead slapping herself for the not-so-subtle jealousy-inspired question wrapped in a joke.

"What? No! What would make you think I had a woman over here?" he asked.

There was no mistaking the shock on his face, and Annie felt chagrined for even thinking that, but still, she thought, there was no mistaking the scent in the air. "Well, then, why does your place smell like it's been doused in rosewater?"

His mouth opened and closed a couple of times, then shook his head. He shut the door and latched it, then turned back to her. "I guess you wouldn't accept the fact that my house cleaner has changed the scent of her air freshener, huh?"

"Auggie, what's going on?" Annie asked. Her initial jealous thoughts were giving way to frustration.

He didn't respond, only walked up to her and took the bag from her hand. After depositing it at the foot of his bed, he came back to her and took both of her hands in his. "The reason the place smells like this and why I have so much food is because, well, of you."

"Still don't understand, Auggie," Annie replied. He took her over to the couch and sat them down and turned to her, his hands still gripping hers. She almost felt like he was holding on to make sure she didn't run away.

"It's nothing, really. I knew you'd had a rough week, and I'd planned on welcoming you home last night. I had a few dozen roses here, but the smell got so strong, I sent them to the hospital. The food I figured I could eat, so –"

Annie didn't let one more word get out of his mouth before she launched herself in his arms. He reciprocated, as he always did, and she fought to choke back the emotion that welled up in her. "Auggie, I'm sorry. Why didn't you say something?" she asked, though her words were muffled into his shirt.

"Well, you said you were really tired, and I didn't want to sound like one of those pushy boyfriends that insist on doing everything their way."

Annie let out a half sob/half laugh at his words. She couldn't believe it. All this time, she'd been lamenting that he was more physical than emotional, and here, he'd planned a romantic welcome home for her as a surprise. She held him just a bit tighter as the wave of remorse washed over her.

They'd stayed there a few more seconds before Auggie began to pull away. "As much as I love being in your arms, care to explain what the tears are for?" he asked as his hand skimmed across her cheeks, wiping away the few that fell.

"Oh, God, I'm not sure I want to," she said.

"Oh, now you have to tell me," he laughed.

"Okay. Though with everything you just said, it makes it even worse. I was tired yesterday, Auggie. I know you heard most of what happened, but it really wore me down, body and mind. And – oh, geez. I wanted to be with you yesterday after I got back, but –"

"But what?" Auggie whispered.

Annie couldn't bear looking him in the face as she said quickly, "I'd assumed you wanted to, you know, get physical, and I wasn't really up to it."

The hand he was caressing her cheek with froze for a second, and then it began to shake a little. Annie's eyes rose again to his face, and she couldn't believe it. He was trying really hard not to laugh. His eyes were lit up, and the sides of his mouth were twitching. He soon gave up the fight, though, and his laughter rang throughout the apartment.

Annie crossed her arms over her chest. "It's not funny."

"I know it's not," he said, though a few chuckles were mixed in with his words. "Annie, I knew how tired you were. Did you really think I'd force you, just 'cause we hadn't seen each other for a week?"

"Well, no, but, I don't know, Auggie. Can we just chalk this up to a misinterpretation and move on?" Annie asked. She was still blushing a bit from the embarrassment.

"In a minute. First, I want to tell you something."

"Okay."

His hands found hers again, and Annie once again had that feeling that he could see directly into her, his eyes were so fixated upon her face.

"It did hurt me yesterday when you said you'd rather go home alone than come her, but, Annie, that's just me reacting to the uncertainty that you always seem to bring out in me. I'm not blaming you, but you have to remember, I can't always tell what mood you're in or how much you're hurt. Your voice gives you away sometimes, but –"

"I know," Annie interrupted. "All this is as much my fault as yours, probably even more. This may sound cliché as all hell, but I guess I've been taking for granted that you know me better than I know myself, you know?"

"Sometimes. I don't want to spend another night like last night ever again."

"Me, either. I dreamed of you."

"Oh, really?" he asked with a devilish grin. "What were we doing?"

Annie laughed. "Nothing like that, okay? We were walking along here, there, and then you walked away, and no matter what, I couldn't find you."

"Oh, Annie."

"It's okay. It just made me realize what a mistake I'd made and that I should've just told you the truth, you know?"

He nodded and leaned forward, their lips meeting in a tender kiss. When it ended, he leaned his forehead on hers. "Now I wish I hadn't gotten rid of the flowers."

"No need. What we've got right here is more than romance for me," Annie said.

"So I can cancel the bracelet I have on order for you for our one-month anniversary?" Auggie asked with a smile.

"Well, I do like jewelry."

* * *

**THE END**

**Yay! I had this going a whole 'nother way, but a few of you wanted Auggie's POV, and doing so drove the story in this direction.**

**Thanks everyone for the kind words.**

**Please Review!**


End file.
